Category Archives: ESAS

Fascinating New Propellant Depot Architecture Paper

Posted on March 30, 2011 by Jonathan Goff

Keith Cowing just posted a link to a fascinating new pro-Propellant Depot analysis. I was impressed to see who the second coauthor was… When you have one of the leaders of ESAS coming out in favor of propellant depots and … Continue reading →

Posted in ESAS, Propellant Depots | 3 Comments

HEFT Frustrations Venting

Posted on January 13, 2011 by Jonathan Goff

So, most of you in the space policy world have heard about NASA’s report back to Congress about how it wants to build an Ares-V classic HLV, but that Congress wasn’t giving them enough time or money, and Congress’ dignified … Continue reading →

Posted in Commercial Space, ESAS, NASA, NEOs, Propellant Depots | 80 Comments

Falcon 9 and Ares I

Posted on March 22, 2010 by Jonathan Goff

I just saw something this morning that amused me. Both ESAS and Falcon 9 were formally announced within about a week or two of each other (in September 2005). Four and a half years later, a fully-orbital Falcon 9 is … Continue reading →

Posted in ESAS, SpaceX | 82 Comments

Why Not Just Fund the Program of Record?

Posted on December 14, 2009 by Jonathan Goff

Amid all the recent discussion of the Augustine Committee’s results, Mark Whittington asks a question that a lot of people in Congress seem to be asking: “Why not just pay for the current program since any new program is going … Continue reading →

Posted in Commercial Space, COTS, ESAS, International Space Collaboration, Lunar Commerce, Lunar Exploration and Development, NASA, NEOs, Politics, Space Development, Space Policy | 31 Comments

Comment on Brett Alexander’s Congressional Testimony

Posted on December 3, 2009 by Jonathan Goff

I didn’t have a chance to watch either of the House subcommittee hearings today, so I’m grateful that Clark linked to the testimonies of the various witnesses.  I really enjoyed reading Brett’s testimony, and thought one of his points in … Continue reading →

Posted in Bigelow Aerospace, Commercial Space, COTS, ESAS, Launch Vehicles, NASA, SpaceX | 13 Comments

Poor Taste Humor Tuesdays: CxP Edition

Posted on October 20, 2009 by Jonathan Goff

This is poor taste, but too funny not to pass along (I apologize in advance to CxP workers reading this). Upon hearing about another CxP element that’s been supposedly defunded, a NASASpaceFlight.com member (Lawntonlookirs) expressed his frustration by creating the … Continue reading →

Posted in ESAS, Fun, NASA | 2 Comments

Ares-I Ascent Reliability: Still Missing The Point

Posted on October 9, 2009 by Jonathan Goff

I listened in a bit on yesterday’s Augustine Committee discussion.  The debate at the end between Bo and the others reminded me of a point I’ve made a bunch of times on this blog–that when you’re talking about exploration missions, … Continue reading →

Posted in ESAS, NASA | 23 Comments

One of the Most Amazing 25 Minutes in (Recent) NASA History [Updated]

Posted on July 30, 2009 by Jonathan Goff

Or at least that’s how Stephen Flemming put it on Twitter regarding Jeff Greason’s presentation at the Augustine Committee meeting today in Florida. To be fair, the rest of the subgroup also did an amazing job, especially Chris Chyba’s wrapup … Continue reading →

Posted in Commercial Space, COTS, ESAS, International Space Collaboration, International Space Competition, Launch Vehicles, Lunar Commerce, Lunar Exploration and Development, NASA, Propellant Depots, Space Policy, Space Transportation, Technology | 8 Comments

Random Thought: NASA Multi-Launch Hypocrisy

Posted on July 29, 2009 by Jonathan Goff

Just reading some of the comments from the Constellation used-car sale pitch going on in Huntsville today.  One of the topics discussed was how Ares-V enables manned missions to Mars.   The Marshall guys put up a chart showing that depending … Continue reading →

Posted in ESAS, Launch Vehicles, Lunar Exploration and Development, NASA | 10 Comments

Random Thoughts: Pre-Depot 2-Launch Manned Missions Using L2 Swingby

Posted on June 28, 2009 by Jonathan Goff

Ok, two weeks ago, I mentioned that the “pre-depot” dual EELV launch concept my friend had passed to me could be adapted to do manned lunar missions.  Lunar missions are a lot easier to close if you assume a depot … Continue reading →

Posted in Bigelow Aerospace, Commercial Space, ESAS, Launch Vehicles, Lunar Commerce, Lunar Exploration and Development, MSS, NASA, Propellant Depots, Space Transportation, SpaceX | 13 Comments